


Cowardice

by la_faye_tte



Series: The world has changed [a series of Ted/Paul fics] [5]
Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, Multi, tw: mentions of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 18:43:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_faye_tte/pseuds/la_faye_tte
Summary: TGWDLM scene/s rewrite where Ted and Paul were exes. Follows “Stay” There’s gonna be some canon divergence here. This will be the 2nd to the last work in this series.(Also I fucking faceplanted into my desk and almost cried in the office while writing this.)
Relationships: Chai Coffee - Relationship, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins, Paul Matthews/Ted, Ted/Paul Matthews
Series: The world has changed [a series of Ted/Paul fics] [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1544002
Kudos: 29





	Cowardice

Paul hurried back to Hidgens’ residence. When he saw the walls down and the Infected dancing their way towards what was once a fortress, he knew he had to move faster and sneakier. If he was lucky, Emma, Ted, and Hidgens would be fine. 

The building was unfamiliar, with uniform hallways and multiple doors. He stuck to the walls, thanking that the floor was carpeted as he tried to navigate the corridors. He made sure to look before turning a corner, staying aware of the cold metal of General McNamara’s gun in his hand. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. 

So far, he didn’t encounter any of the Infected, until he heard muffled singing from a room across the hall. The closer he got, the more familiar the voice sounded. Paul feared for the worst. He held his breath as the door across the hall opened and two of the Infected carried out a certain biology professor that was not resisting or fighting at all. 

Paul was beginning to lose hope when he heard screaming from the very same room. Perhaps he hadn’t been too late after all. As soon as Hidgens and the Infected were out of sight, he dove for the door, sneaking in as silently as possible. 

“-PLEASE GOD IF YOU SAVE ME I PROMISE TO BE A BETTER PERSON! PLEASE!” Ted screamed as Emma tried to wiggle herself out of the ropes.

“It’s okay guys, I’m here.” Paul rushed over to the chairs and hurriedly untied the ropes binding Emma and Ted.

“PAUL!” The two simultaneously exclaimed in relief.

Paul shushed them so as not to call the attention of the Infected who may very well still be in the house. “We gotta get out of here while they’re distracted.”

“Should I take this chair?” Emma asks.

“Yes.” Paul replies, picking up the other chair himself.

“I’ll get the piano.” Ted adds, taking the keyboard with him. Well, if worse comes to worst, at least they could use them as weapons.

* * *

They got out of Hidgens’ house unscathed. They didn’t stop running until they were too tired to go further. The trio decided to sit down to take a moment to catch their breaths before they start running again. It wouldn’t do any good if they were too tired to fight back when necessary.

It was then that a lot of the day’s events started sinking in for Paul. All those people, just gone, with their bodies serving as puppets for the cruel Hive Mind. It sunk in that Bill’s blood stained his hands and clothes, a reminder that he wasn’t able to save his best friend and daughter. A reminder that letting Bill go into that trap was a mistake. Now, Paul knew. “Ted, you were right.”

From the hollowness in Paul’s tone, Ted picked up on what he meant. Their time together meant that they could read each other after all. “I didn’t want to be right. I shouldn’t have been right. I’m sorry.”

“We should’ve just listened to you and stayed, then maybe Bill...”

“Hey, no. Alice meant a lot to both of you. Listen, I wasn't able to do anything for Charlotte, but you guys did what you could for Alice.”

“But staying behind would have been what was best for Bill.”

“It’s his daughter. He loves her more than anything in this world. He would have left anyway, with or without you.”

Paul fell silent and buried his face in his hands. And Ted wanted nothing more than to take the burden of Paul’s guilt away. 

“What Bill needed then was support, and you gave him that.” _You weren’t an ungrateful fuck like I was to Charlotte._ “It’s not your fault, it’s those alien zombie shitheads.” 

Paul lifted his head and for the first time in a long time, gave Ted a small, soft smile. “Thanks, Ted.” And the question crossed Ted’s mind again. _Why did we break up again? I missed that, I miss you._ Paul didn’t want to say it out loud but he missed this too. What they had wasn’t all bad, and after all, Paul _did _ love him once.__

_ __ _

Paul glances at General McNamara’s watch. 10:30. Shit. They had to keep moving. He stands up first and the others follow suit. The run resumes.

* * *

“Come on guys, there’s a helicopter coming to pick us up. We gotta get to Oakley Park in- oh shit it’s 10:52, we’re gonna have to huff it.” Paul looked at their surroundings. They could make it if they kept running.

“Wait, Paul! I gotta say something.” They were so close, but Ted couldn’t keep postponing this.

“Not now-” Paul tried to stop him.

If he didn’t say it now, there might not be another chance and he just wanted to stop being so scared of admitting the truth. “YES, NOW! Paul, today uh- today has uh- has broken me. I’m ashamed of how I acted earlier, with Bill. And shit, I wanted to abandon Erica back there-”

“It’s Emma.” Emma glared in his direction.

“Gesundheit.” Ted waves her off. Nevermind if she hears what he has to say. 

Ted places his hand on Paul’s shoulder and tries not to shudder at how familiar it felt. “And Paul, I wish I could be brave, like you.”

“Shut the fuck up dude we gotta go!” Emma shouts, frustrated.

“You see, I deserve any kind of abuse you guys want to give because I’ve been a grade-A asshole. But I swear!” He takes Paul’s hands in his and he’s grateful when Paul doesn’t pull away. “I swear I’m gonna try to be a better person because today has taught me something and it’s what’s really important in this life, and it’s the people you care about.” _Now, stop being a coward and just say it._ “And Paul, I still-” _love you._

**Bang.**

Emma screamed and Paul felt the world slow down. He almost thought it had been him but Ted fell right into his arms. Paul’s blood runs cold while Ted’s is warm as it seeps from his neck right into Paul’s shirt. Paul’s knees gave out from under him and they both fell to the ground.

“No, no no no no no no.” Paul mutters under his breath as he tries to shake Ted awake. _Not again, not him too. Please._ His hands are trembling as he adjusts his hold on Ted. “Ted? Oh god. Please, not you too.” He couldn’t even bring himself to be more coherent. There was no response. Only bleeding. Paul’s vision blurs as the tears fell freely. He didn’t want this, this wasn’t supposed to happen, everyone’s fallen. Everyone’s being stolen away.

All of a sudden, there is the cadence of a march getting closer and closer. The smoke from Gen. McNamara’s gun still floated in the air along with the faint smell of gunpowder. Emma spotted the infected general, rushed to grab Paul, and tugged at him. “Paul we need to go now. There’s nothing we can do for him anymore. I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Paul’s voice carried the same hollowness as before, when he was talking about his regrets and Bill’s untimely death. But he stands and lets Emma pull him away.

* * *

Paul was relieved Emma survived the crash but that quickly changed when he saw the metal rod impaling her leg. She groaned and cursed as she tried to drag herself across he ground and not even Paul could help her because the movement makes her scream in pain. The implication was very clear, Emma can’t make it out of Hatchetfield like this. And Paul knew he couldn’t take any more loss.

If the Hive takes Emma too, he wouldn’t know what he would do with himself. So when Emma tells him to destroy the meteor, he takes it upon himself. It stung when she echoed the words of a lost past love but he can’t break down even more. He can’t fail her too.


End file.
